op chicago



i object is UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEicE.

WALTER E. AMBEIBG, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOB TO AMBER@ STEEL COPANY,

OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,

A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

TUBE-MAKING- IEVBOCESS AND MACHINE.

Application med February 5,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER E. Animas, a citizen of the United States, and a resi'- dent of Chicago, Cook county, Illinois, have invented a certain new, useful, and Improved Tube-Making Process and Machine, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has to do with the production in large quantities of metal tubes, bushings and like articles of manufacture. Its

to save metal and to expedite production. A further and special object is to provide for the continuous production of such articles, in a wholly yautomatic way and without waste, from rod stock which is readily obtainable in the market. A further ob- 'ect of the invention is to improve the quality and finish of such articles.

My invention comprises a novel process and mechanism whereby the above stated objects are attained, and will be readily understood on reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawing which illustrates the direct working parts that I use in carrying out my novel process, and which themselves constitute a part of the invention.

The diagrammatic drawin 2 represents aheating urnace or muflie or heating the stock or rods from which the tubes are made. In this particular drawing I have represented ve such rods, A, and it will be understood that they are heated in the furnace, 2, and leave the same through the several mouths, 3. For each rodI provide a set of upsetti and tube-forming dies, and b y arranlginlg t ese dies in Vthe diiferent positions w ic the occupy at dierent staes in the process, I ave been able to make t is single diagrammatic view fully illustrative of the complete rocess.

The parts marked 4 are reciprocating propelling clutches. Each contains a split cone, 5, containing a central bore, 6, which fits the rod, A, whatever its cross section. Obviously this clutchis adapted to work the rod forward in the direction of the arrow and is so used Reversely, the :clutch is adapted to prevent retrograde movement of the stock or rod, A. The part 7 is a reciprocating die block, which contains a bore, 8,

spammen' of Letters raient.

. tions to the several reciprocatin Patented Aug. 2e, i919.

1918. Serial No. 215,649.

that is slightly larger than the rod A.; and the die block also contains the die cavity, 9. Another movable part of the mechanism comprises 'a plunger, 10, preferably having a more or less pointed end, 10. The part 11 represents a frame member which provides the guides, i2, for the several plungers. It will be noted that the parts bear corres onding figures in the five portions o the drawing.

It will be understood that the 4coin lete machine embraces levers or the like w ich are adapted to shift the proieller or clutch block, 4, from the position shown at the top of the drawing to the forward position, C. Likewise the machine includes levers or the like for shifting the die block, 7, from the position D (shown at the top of thev drawing) to the position, E rlhe mechanisna` last mentioned is also adapted tofo'rcibly move the block, 7, to the next position, F, and thence back to the position D. v Similarly, in e li case, a lever, or'the like,fis provided for moving the pluilier, 10, from the osition G to the position indicated by the dotted lines' at the bottom of the sheet. In the actual machine the several groups of dies composing the ang of ve are separated suicieutly toY a low the necessary connecparts. The diagrammatic view is simplii by omitting them.

Five stages or operations complete the cycle wherein a single tube is produced. Thel machine illustrated serves to show how five tubes ma be produced with five sets of dies arrange to o crate each one step ahead of the other in t e cycle. In this manner the groups taken together' serve to illustrate a single complete cycle.

ingforward and thns'drives the @ne thereof forcibly against the end of the then fixed plunger',

10. Obviously the effect is to upset the metal against the end of the plunger whereby the metal is forced out 'to Afill the cavity, 9. The space between the plunger, 10, and the inner wall of the cavity, 9, determines the thickness of the tube to be produced. The length of the tube to be produced is determined by the extent to which the end of the stock is initially 1protruded into the cavity, 9 see positions and D). Thus, as illustrat i in the ositions C and E considerable more metal) is displaced than is required to'iill the die cavity, 9, with the re- Sult that at the end of the upsettin stroke of the pro eller, 4, and the rod, A, t 1e tube will have een partly projected or squeezed o of the cavit 9, and a considerable distance alon .the langer, 10. This is clearly represen at, XH t is important to note that at this sta e there remains an integral junction, A', w Yich still connects the tubular part A', with the parent stock, A.

In the upsetti operation the metal is caused to completigy lill-.the bore, 8, to form its shoulder, A, y against the end of the clutch, 5, rather than within the block, 7,

or between the same and the part, 5. Either finis of the latter conditions would make difficult the next forward feed of the stock.

Having conditioned the metal as in posi? tions C and E, I next retract the art, 4, to the position, B, leaving thebloc 7, in the posltion, E, and'leaving the plungerin the' position,fG. At that time the enlarged end or juncture, A, bein interlocked with the then stationary blocl 7, prevents the retraction of the rod, A, along with the clutch, 4 6.

Havin restored the clutch in readiness to again eed the stock forward,I allow the same to remain stationary Ifor a moment, and at that instant force the block, 7, forward to the osition, F, meantime leaving the plunger ill in 'the position, G. In consequence the block, 7, junction, A, oil over the Aend of the rod, thus severing the completed tube, A", from t e parent stock, as well illustrated at the point, 14. Y`. y

At the next instant I retract the die block,

47, thereby restoring the block, 7 ,1to1 the pfosition, D, and causing the stock to again protrude m'to the dle cavity, 9. At the same shears the integraltlme I retract the plunger, 10, and thus strip Aotherwise .be suffered through the leaving,

or release the completed tube, A", from the plunger, 10, as clearly shown at the bottomof the drawing. t

The forward end 4 the tube abuts the member,

tracted purpose that it tends to Astraighten the end of the still hot tube. Upon its release 11, when Athe plunger, 10, is reand this abutmentjserves a useful.

from lthe plunger, 10, the. completed tube, A", falls into a receiving trough, not shown.

Obviously, it is only necessary to restore the' plunger, 10 from the position, H, to position, D, to begin a new cycle of operations.

A complete cycle of operation, as above described, occurs within a `fraction of a minute. As will be tgp arent te those skilled in the art, no part o i that either the stock or the die blocks shall move slow] y. The capacity of the machine is great. lit is wholly automatic in operation, once the end of a rod is` caught in the clutch 5, and power is supplied to move the sever members as descrlbed;

As ever article is subjected to compression withm the forming or upsetting die, and as even the central opening in the article is formed while the metal is under compression, the article produced is of superior quality, both as to the state of the metal com osing it and as to the character or of its surfaces.

In making such articles, I use metal rods; passing them through the heatin furnace and preferably welding (electrically or otherwise) the end of one rod to that of the next, so that the lprocess may proceed continuously, and without interruption; and thereby avoid a minor wast-e whlch would of short ends of rods to be cared for. However, the word continuous, as herein used, relates to the operation upon any single rod, however short or long it Vmay be.

I have not hereinv attempted to illustrate means foreimparting movement to the several reciprocating members These parts may be moved by means .of several lever mechanisms that will suggest themselves to a competent mechanic. y V

Various modifications of my invention will suggest themselvesto those skilled in the art, and it is ossble to modify the order of the steps dldscribed.` .Therefore 4I `do `notlimit the invention to the precise pree operation requires ferred order or to the preferred construction herein described, except as prescribed by the hereunto ap ended claims. .Having t us described claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:` e y 1. The improvement in the art ofma metaly tubes l,and the like, without waste o metal, which consists in simultaneously 11psetting and iercing the `end of al rod to form the bodljf ofthe article, while leaving the latter integrally connected with the parent rod, then shearing that connection from the end of the rod, aving as,V the extreme end of said lrod the ortion ofmetalwhich previously formed t e.co1responding `portion of the upset body. n l

a'itils fon" block and adapted to coct therewith to la* i vgt out Yaveste first form the tubular article upon and than 10 making 'tb v which comprlses a rod.v propelling member, strip or shear it from the end of the present Y f' Yin Yee'mbnatien with a' die-bleekwhich is rod, and the said plunger being adapted for Y'enirxlinl 'therewthfand is adapted te Vreceive vretrattion to discharge the completed article.

-therend of the rod from saidfmembe and In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set throughpwhich the rod feeds, an upsetting my hand this ,30th day of J anuary, 1918. 15

"ge'nd. plereirxgY limger eoxialrwithgrgaid die WALTER E. AMBERG.

il n fve'cents each, b'yladdressing the umlnissioner of Patents,

shlngton, D. 0. 

